Background

This request for applications is issued by the USAID Rule of Law Program in Georgia (“the Program”). The Program is a five-year activity implemented by the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI) and funded by the US Agency for International Development. EWMI is a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization with extensive experience in supporting legal and judicial reforms around the world. The goal of the Program is to strengthen the rule of law in Georgia by attaining the following objectives:

Objective 1: Independence and effectiveness of justice system institutions strengthened;

Objective 2: Equal access to justice for all enhanced;

Objective 3: Citizen and institutional oversight of justice institutions increased.

Based on the experience of having individual court staff members approach the Program on an ad hoc basis with requests to fund their capacity-building needs, the Program has decided to establish an educational fund to promote training opportunities for individual court personnel. The fund will be used to support future applicants’ individual requests to sponsor capacity-building initiatives and/or projects (such as the participation fees to attend a conference, publishing an article in a law journal, undertaking small research projects, attending a professional advancement course, etc.) that will help the selected court staff members improve their skills and professionalism while promoting individual initiatives and cooperation with the Program. The maximum amount that can be requested from the fund will be USD 2,000 and the applicants must submit a justification for their requests.

The purpose of this RFA is to outline terms and procedures for applying to the Program Fellowship Fund, the aim of which is to promote the enhancement of the people-centered court administration practices and push it to an even higher level of effectiveness.      

Fellowship Fund Objectives

The goal of the Fellowship Fund is to assist court personnel to carry out their daily activities more effectively with an aim of improving court administration, increasing accessibility of justice, and enhancing people-centered practices in the judiciary. The Fund will provide financial resources to increase the capacity of individuals working for the common courts system. The fellowships will be awarded: a) for training that can improve their research/legal writing and other professional skills; b) to attend international or regional conferences on substantive issues of concern to the court system; and c) for other capacity-building initiatives and/or projects, such as fees for publishing an article in a law journal, undertaking small research projects, etc.

Selection Criteria

Successful applications shall meet the following criteria:

a) For local training:

• Proposed training program is widely recognized;
• Training is on substantive issues of justice related to the area in which the applicant is working;
• Applicant demonstrates commitment to share the experience with colleagues upon completion (the degree of commitment will be judged by a brief description of the follow-up activities).

b) For international conference:

• Proposed event/program is internationally acknowledged;
• Proposed event/program is on substantive issues of justice related to the area in which the applicant is working;
• Applicant demonstrates commitment to share the experience with colleagues upon return (the degree of commitment will be judged by a brief description of the follow-up activities).

C) Other capacity-building initiatives: similar to above mentioned requirements, based on the nature of the activity.

Selection Process

To ensure an objective selection process, proposals will be reviewed in accordance with the rules and procedures of USAID Rule of Law Program.  

During the review process, additional information may be requested. The applicant will be asked to present all the requested additional information within five working days.

Program anticipates multiple awards under this call. Program reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted.

Allowable Costs

The maximum award for each application is up to USD 2000.  

Funds may be used for the following:                                                                                                                     

1. Tuition
2. Travel expenses
3. Accommodation and per diem
4. Visa fees
5. Other justifiable expenses directly related to the aims of the fellowship.

Eligibility

The competition is limited to the employees of the common court system.

Application Submission Process

The fellowship applicants must fill in the given form (in Georgian). Applications submitted to the competition must be the original and sole work of the applicant.  Any plagiarism will result in the immediate disqualification from the competition.

The Program will retain all materials and documents submitted through the competition in our records. The Program does not use information presented by applicants for purposes other than review and does not provide this information to any outside persons or institutions, except when required by Georgian law or requested by the donor.

Competition Timeline

Competition Announcement: June 23, 2023

Competition Open Door Online Session: August 11, 2023

Competition final date: June 30, 2024

Applications can be submitted electronically to the e-mail address below. Applications shall be submitted at least a month before the commencement date for an event/program.  The applicants will be informed about the results of the proposal review process within 3 weeks of their proposal submission.  

Contact Information

Program is located at 5 Marjanishvili Str, 0102 Tbilisi, Georgia, Tel/Fax (995 32) 2505404.

The contact person for this competition is Ms. Mariam Gobronidze to be reached at mgobronidze@ewmi.org.